Electrical safety apparatus for signaling on railways.



PATENTED AUG. l5. 1905.

H. COUSIN. ELECTRICAL SAFETY APPARATUS FOR SIGNALING ON RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED APB.. 3. 1905.

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PATENTED AUG. 15, 1905.

H. COUSIN.

ELECTRICAL SAFETY APPARATUS FOR SIGNALING 0N RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 3. 1905.

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TNTTFD STATES AI r-MFEN'T CFFTCE'.

HENRI. CC'USIN, CF PARTS, FRANCE, ASSTGNOR TC SOCIT COUSIN t CO., CF PARIS, FRANCE.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 15, i905.

Application filed April 3, 1905. Serial No. 253,595.

Be it known that l', H nNni Cousin, a citizen ot' the French .ltepuhlic, residing at 68 Rue de ia Chaussee di-ltntin, Faris, France, have invented certa-in new and useful Improvements in Ylrllcctrical Safety Apparatus for Signaling on Railways; and ,l do hereby declare the following to be a Full, clear, and exact description oi the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an electrical safety apparatus for signaling on railways, and has igor its object to provide a practical and simple device adapted to notify the driver of a train that he has passed, or is about to pass, a signal at danger, and also it enables the railway oiiicials to ascertain whether a train has passed a signal at danger. For this purpose the locomotive or the track is provided with an apparatus which gives an audible signal when the train passes a semaphore or other signal at danger and at the same time causes one or more disks or symbols to fall on the track. Tn order to secure this result, l'ixed contact-bars which. are electrically charged only when the signal is at danger are placed on the track, each locomotive being provided with a repeating apparatus arranged so as to explode a cartridge and to cause one or more disks or tokens to Jall on the track whenever the signal is at danger and the locomotive passes over one of the contacts. These electric contact-bars lixed on the track are insulated from the ground and electrically connected with one oi the poles ot a currentgenerator, the other pole of which is connected with a commutator arranged on the stop-signal. The commutator is arranged so as to connect the second pole ot the currentgenerator with earth when the signal is at danger. 0n the other hand, one of the terminals ot' the signaling device arranged on the locomotive or on the track is in connection with earth, so that the electric circuit is closed and the signaling apparatus acts only when y the signal is at dangerf7 The arrangement herein before described is known and has been applied to other apparatus intended for the same purpose.

The present invention consists substantially in the construction of the signaling apparatus and in the electric apparatus by means of which it is operated.

.In the accompanyingdrawings, Figure l is a diagram of the electric apparatus which operates the signaling device. Figs. Q and 3 represent the brushes which receive the current at the contact-bars arranged on the track. Fig. t is an elevation, partly in section, of the signaling device. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section o1 the said device; Fig. 6, a vertical section ot' the controlling mechanism; Fig. 7, a section through A A, Fig. 4.

The current employed in working the signaling device is conveyed to the apparatus on the locomotive from the lixed contacts arranged on the track by means ot' brushes l, 2, 3, or et, arranged on a shaft 5 on the locomotive. These brushes are pin -jointed to their supports, so as to be capable ot swinging freely in one direction, so that the circuit is closed only when the brush passes over the contact-bars in a certain direction. `ln the position l, Fig. 2, contacts 6 and 7, which put the brushes in circuit, are open and the circuit broken. This circuit is closed when the brush passes over the lixed contact-bar 8, placed on the track, as shown with the brush l", Fig. Q. This is when the locomotive is laced -by a signal indicating stop or caution.

W'hen the brushes pass over the contacts 8 in the reverse direction, Fig. 3, the brush-contacts 6 and 7 are always put apart and the circuit interrupted. This is when the locomotive on a line comes behind a signal which controls the traitic in the opposite direction.

The brushes l and 2. are arranged inversely to the brushes 3 and Li-the brushes l and Z acting, for example, when the locomotive runs forward, the brushes 3 and 4L acting when the locomotive runs backward.

The end brushes l and it are intended to pass over the lxed contact-bars which are in connection with the absolute stop-signals and the brushes 2 and i) over the contacts connected with the caution-siguala-that is to say, signals which the driver may pass under certain conditions, for example, if the speed be relaxed andthe whistle blown. ln the drawings, 9 is the electromagnet tor the signaling device. When the current passes through this magnet, the magnet actuates the mechanism-4 which causes, for example, a cartridge to explode.

lt will be seen from Fig. l that the brushes 1 and t employed in connection with the absolute stop-signals are directly connected with one of the terminals of the electromagnet 9, the other terminal of which is connected with earth. On the other hand, the brushes 2 and 3, employed for the permissive signals, are only electrically connected with the magnet 9 through the medium of the commutator 10. The commutator 10 is so arranged that the circuit is normally closed or is interrupted when the driver operates the lever 11, the displacement of which causes the whistle 12 to blow, the sound of this whistle being' different from that of t-he ordinary locomotive-whistle. Under this arrangement the signaling device always acts when the locomotive runs past an absolute stop-signal which is at danger and acts likewise when the locomotive runs in front of a permissive signal, unless the driver Vhaving perceived this signal blows his special whistle, and thus displays his vigilance.

The signaling device, Figs. 4 to 7, consists of a metal box 14, which contains the parts of the apparatus, the principle of which is as follows: lVhenever the current from the fixed contacts 8 energizes the magnet 9, the magnet attracts its armature 16, the displacement of which actuates a releasing mechanism controlling a series of hammers 17, which are allowed to fall in succession upon cartridges 18, which on explosion give an audible signal. Thile calling attention by the noise of their explosion, these cartridges also contain disks or tokens, which are discharged onto the line. The detonators or hammers 17, which are provided with the percussion-heads 19, are guided by the vertical rods 2O and are usually retained in the raised position by the nose 21, Fig. 7, of a tripping-pawl 22, which turns on the shaft 28, that is supported at each end in the sides of the box 14. The pawl 22 is provided witli a heel 24, normally in contact with projecting' stops 25, arranged on a rod 26, guided in a tube 27. The rod 26 can move longitudinally in the tube 27, in which there is a slot for the passage of the stops 25. The result is that if the heel 24 is not in contact with one of the stops 25 the pawl 22 can turn around the shaft and the nose-piece leaves the shoulder 28 of the body 17, which then drops onto the corresponding cartridge 18. As will be seen in Fig. 4, the stops 25 gradually increase in length, so that if the rod 26 moves gradually from left to right the detonators 17 drop one after the other, beginning with the one on the left. The rod 26 has a tendency to move from left to right Linder the action of the spring 29. The right-hand end of the rod 26 is in the form of a rack 30, which gears with the pinion 3l, arranged on the shaft 32. On this same shaft is a lanternpinion composed of two disks 38, Fig. 6, connected by pins or staves 34. The pinion 31 and the lantern-pinion 33 are connected together by a clutch 40. The pallets 35 and 36 of an escapement 37, which turns on the shaft 88, engage between the pins 34. This escapement is connected with the armature 16 of the magnet by a pin-joint 89. An antagonistic spring 49 returns the escapement 37 and the armature 16 of the magnet to their normal positions when the current-taking brush leaves a fixed contact-bar. It will thus easily be understood that under the action of the spring 29 the lantern-pinion 33 rotates and vmoves one step each time the armature 16 of the electromagnet is attracted and pulled inwardm that is to say, each time the locomotive passes over one of the electric contacts arranged on the line near the stop-signals. The rod 26 thus moves gradually forward, each forward movement thereofl being attended by a falling of one of the detonators 17, which thus drop in succession each time the locomotive passes over an electric contact on the line.

In order to return the apparatus to its starting position, it is only necessary to remove the cap 41 and to pull the knob 42 on the rod 26. The detonators 17 are then replaced in the raised position and the cartridge-sockets refilled. rIhe cap 41 is then replaced and fixed. The cartridges 18 are stored in the chamber of a magazine 43, which turns around the shaft 44 and is closed by the pin 45. The front of the box has a hinged cover 46, fastened in the closed position by means of the hook 47. Glazed inspection-openings 48 serve for ascertaining the number of detonators which have dropped.

In case the signaling device is fixed on a post on the line the system of current-taking brushes cannot be employed. In such case the electromagnet belonging to the apparatus is connected with a commutator placed against one of the rails and usually open. This commutator is only closed when (the stop-signal being displayed) the front wheel of the locomotive passes over a treadle-lever arranged for the purpose.

That I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a signaling apparatus for railways, the combination with electrical contact-bars fixed on the line and controlled in conjunction with the ordinary signaling' mechanism, of two sets of brushes flexibly connected with a transverse sha-ft on the locomotive, one set of brushes being adapted to act when the locomotive is moving forward, and the other when the direction is reversed, an electromagnet arranged in circuit with one set of brushes and adapted to operate a signaling device when the locomotive passes a stop-signal at danger, a commutator adapted to normally put the other set of brushes, in circuit with the electromagnet, means whereby the commutator may be operated by the driver to cut out the said brushes when passing' a caution signal and at the same time an audible signal may be operated, substantially as described.

2. In a signaling apparatus for railways,

the combination with electrical contact-bars fixed on the line and controlled 1n conjunction with the ordinary signaling mechanism, of

`two sets of brushes flexibly connected with a transverse shaft on the locomotive and provided with contacts which are normally apart and only come together when the brush passes in a certain direction over the line-contacts, one set ot' brushes being adapted to act when the locomotive is moving forward, and the other when the direction is reversed, an electromagnet arranged in circuit with one set of brushes and adapt-ed to operate a signaling device when the locomotive passes a stopsignal at danger, a commutator adapted to normaily put the other set of brushes in circuit with the electromagnet, means whereby the commutator may be operated by the driver to cut out the said brushes when passing a caution signal, and at the same time an audible signal may be operated substantially as described.

3. in a signaling apparatus for railways,

an audible signaling device consisting ot' a box or casing, a series of cartridges supported in the easing, a series of sliding hammers or weights supported above the cartridges, tipping pawls or triggers adapted to normally hold the hammers, a toothed bar having' stops arranged to retain the triggers in engagement with the hammers but capable ot' releasing them in succession as the bar is slid lengthwise, allowing them to fall and explode their corresponding cartridges, a spring tending to move the bar lengthwise, an escapement-pallet geared with the toothed bar, an electromagnet controlling the esca pement, and means itor energizing the electromagnet according to the position ol, the ordinary visual signals.

In testimony whereoli ll have ailxed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRI COUSIN. Witnesses:

CHARLES FABER, HENRI GroUriL. 

